Later that morning, After Assembly:
Kuoh Academy Halls:
3rd Person POV:
'Did Captain have to deal with this on a daily basis?' Cao Cao thought with a subtle sigh as he followed the teacher to their class, not missing the glances and admiring looks the girls around him gave him.
He thought the captain was exaggerating when he said that the girls will constantly look at him no matter where he was, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.
'What is he?' Rias thought with a frown as she watched the new guy following the teacher, noticing how fluid his movements was as well as the way he noticed her staring at him. He even had the audacity to turn his head and smile at her, making the girls behind her giggle as she frowned and huffed at him. "
You sense it too, correct?" Sona whispered in front of her and Rias gave a subtle nod. The guy's aura felt like that of any other human she's seen, but as he glanced back at her, she felt as if she was under the piercing gaze of her brother, feeling as if every little move she makes will determine whether she gets to live a second longer.
"Rias." Akeno muttered and she snapped out of her deep thoughts, seeing the concerned stare she was giving her. She gave her a soft smile and Akeno smiled back before she noticed that they've finally arrived at the class.
"Good morning, everyone!" Rias looked up before her eyes widened as she saw the smiling face of Yasaka staring at them, the class greeting her back as she nodded.
"As you all know, my name is Yamamoto Yasaka and as of today, I will be your homeroom teacher and your Foreign Language teacher. Now, we have a new student joining us as the only boy for the school year. Please, everyone be quiet and let him introduce himself." She said and the class quieted down before she turned towards the guy.
"My name is Tsukimane Aki. It's a pleasure to meet everyone." Was all Cao Cao said and the girls waited for him to say more, but that was all as he turned to glance at Yasaka, who smiled.
"Well, then that was a quick introduction. There's an empty seat next to Shinra, so please be seated there." Cao Cao nodded as he walked towards the middle of the class, the girls he walked past giggling with blushes as he smiled at them before he sat down in the seat next to Tsubaki. He nodded at her and she nodded back before he chuckled softly and turned back to the front, where he noticed Yasaka giving him an amused smile before she turned to the rest of the class.
"Now, although everyone already knows them, we still are obligated to go over them all, so please everyone pay attention to the rules." That made the entire class groan and Yasaka gave them a sympathetic smile before she began.
Class 2-D, Kuoh Academy:
Theo's POV:
"So, everyone found the seat they're looking for?" I asked as I leaned against my new desk, the boys nodding and murmuring to each other as they were all seated in the seat of choice. I noticed Issei sitting at the back with his two buddies, who were both whispering to each other as I sighed.
"Now, first things first, I want silence." A pulse of my aura echoed throughout the class with that final word and they all sat up straight in their seats, even Issei who you would expect to have gotten used to it by now.
"Let's get the first thing out of the way. In this class, I am ruler, I am king, I am god. I can be a benevolent god or I can be a wrathful god. The choice depends on how you behave. Is that clear?" They all nodded and I nodded.
"Good. Secondly, I expect every single one of you to treat everyone with the respect they deserve. Respect your upperclassmen and the staff, and protect and nurture your underclassmen so that they can know what is right and what is wrong. If I ever find out that you're bullying and/ or blackmailing or have been an accomplice to bullying and/ or blackmailing, not even the law will be able to keep you away from you. Am I clear?"
"Hai, sensei!" They all chorused, a few sweating and I continued.
"Finally, if anything happens, such as a classmate accusing you of something or a girl accusing you of something, please do not say anything rash and tell them that you will not speak unless I am with you. The idea of boys in the school is still new to most of the girls and the teachers and they may have a bias to believing the girls more, so I'll be there to help you and see if what they were saying is the truth of not. Believe me, if it was just a lie they made up, they're going to regret it. Does everyone understand?"
"Hai, sensei." I smiled and nodded as I stood upright and uncrossed my arms.
"Now then, for those that have forgotten, my name is Theodore Richards, Richards being my family name, and for this year, I will be your homeroom teacher and your P.E. teacher. I am 25 years old and before anyone asks, yes, I live with Yasaka-sensei and Rossweisse-sensei." I said and they all grinned as they chuckled.
"So, have you seen any of them in their underwear, sensei?" A boy in the second row asked and they all leaned forward as I smirked and rolled my eyes.
"Not telling. Now, how about we start with introductions from the back? Just your name, age and any hobbies you have." I said as I pointed at Issei, who sighed as he stood up.
"My name is Hyoudou Issei, 17 years old and my hobby is reading." He then sat back down, making me smirk before I pointed at a random one and they stood up.
Five minutes later:
"Good! That's everyone, right?" I asked and they all nodded, to which I smiled and nodded before I glanced at my watch.
"Well, since we still have another minute or so before the first bell will ring, I have an idea. How about we decide on the class representative?" I asked and they all grinned before they pointed at Issei, who just groaned as he dropped his head onto his desk.
"He's the one everyone knows from Junior High and he was the top ranked student, so he's the best choice." One of the boys said, with all of them nodding and I chuckled as I nodded before turning to the pouting Issei.
"Well, there you have it, Hyoudou. Looks like you're the class representative."
"Great." He muttered and I chuckled.
*RRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG*
"And there's the bell! Well, boys, your Maths teacher will be here in a few seconds and I have to leave to get changed, so everyone be quiet and don't make a racket or else, we're doing fifty laps around the field after school."
"T-That's a joke, right sensei?" Matsuda asked from the back before they all paled slightly as I grinned at them.
"Just remember, be quiet and respect your teachers, because I'm always listening, boys." And with that, I waved and walked out, the room completely quiet even as I closed the door and already halfway down the hallway.
'And they said teaching was hard.' A few subtle threats and everyone listens.
Later that day, Afternoon:
Kuoh Academy Track Field:
"And Team Yusada wins!" I exclaimed happily, the crowd cheering as Yusada, Yamada, Shiho and Shigiru had a group hug in the field, Sona looking a bit miffed at losing 5-1 to humans. In her defence, she didn't expect humans with footwork capable of disorienting Devils, which is the reason why they could only score one goal after Yusada and Yamada had already scored four.
"And with that, Team Yusada wins the tournament!" I clapped along with the crowd as they all gave proud grins.
"Just like last year's cup." Yusada said with a grin and I chuckled as I nodded, remembering the embarrassing 10-0 loss in last year's football finals. That one was definitely going in the history books.
"Now, everyone, up and let's do the cooldown. I don't want to hear another word of stiff muscles whenever someone doesn't stretch." I said with a pointed stare at Akeno, who just gave me an innocent grin. I sighed as I shook my head before I frowned as I noticed the downcast expression on Rias's face as she went aimlessly through the motions.
Glancing at Akeno, I gestured with my head towards Rias, but frowned even more as her usual smirk disappeared and she sighed.
'Don't tell me it's the engagement thing again?' I wondered to myself with a frown before I sighed and blew my whistle.
"And that's five minutes. Everyone, go take a shower. Gremory, stay please." Rias just sighed as she nodded, walking towards me while the rest of the group walked towards the showers. Akeno gave me a glance and I smiled and nodded, making her smile before she followed after Sona and Tsubaki.
"So, what's the matter, sensei?" Rias asked and I sighed as I saw the slightly puffy eyes.
"It's more what's the matter with you. Is it the same issue as last time?" I asked and she didn't answer as she glanced at the floor, making me sigh as I scratched the back of my head.
"Rias, I want to help. I really do, but unless you tell me what's wrong, I can't, so please, for the sake of your mental health, tell your sensei what's wrong." I whispered as I grasped her by the shoulders and she was silent for a while before I noticed the tears flowing down her face.
"Y-Y-Yes, it's…i-it's my family again, sensei. T-They cut down the time I had left a-and said…that I only had a month...before they were going to force me to get married." She sobbed and I sighed as I wrapped her in a hug, humming softly as she wept.
"And you don't want that." I muttered and felt her nod. I just stayed silent as I let her cry, waiting until her weeping had turned to sniffling before I spoke.
"Rias, what are your options?"
"A-A…a rating game or…someone who would fight my fiancé for my hand in marriage." The way she said fiancé made me frown even deeper, as if she wanted nothing more than to see that person die.
"Can anyone fight alongside you in the Rating Game or does it have to only peerage members?" I asked and she looked up in surprise as I wiped her tears away.
"Y-You…you would?" She asked and I chuckled as I shook my head.
"No, I won't, but I know someone who might be able to. Emphasis on 'might'." I said and she smiled happily as she nodded.
"All familiars and magicians I've made a pact with are allowed to join the Rating Game, but since they're not Devils, the Rating Game technology won't register for them and won't be able to pull them out if they get seriously injured." I smiled at that as I nodded and let her go.
"If the person I have in mind doesn't do it, then I'll join, but if they do, I expect payment, okay?" "I'll give them ten mansions worth of gold if they do." She said instantly and I nodded with a chuckle before patting her on the head before I smiled.
"Now, go and keep your little head calm. By tomorrow, I'll let you know."
"Thank you, sensei." She said with a bow and I smiled as I waved dismissively.
"No need to thank me. Just looking out for my student." She giggled at that before she nodded and skipped away, making me smile before I pulled my phone out.
"Yes?" Cao Cao's voice came through and I smiled.
"Listen, I need a favour." I said and he sighed.
"Who am I helping now?" He asked and I chuckled before I spoke.
Later that day, Night:
Home/ HQ:
"So, you're helping the Gremory girl?" Yasaka asked with a frown and I sighed as I nodded, Rossweisse looking between us with concern. Thankfully, we were sitting in the tower and Kunou was asleep.
"Yes, I am."
"I don't like it. Why are you helping her?" She asked and I sighed as I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
"I'm helping her because I don't see the arrogant girl we met a year ago that tried to recruit us to her peerage. What I see is a young girl being forced into an arranged marriage by a family that doesn't listen. I may still dislike her a little, but that doesn't mean that I would let a young girl be forced to do something that she doesn't want to do." I said and she sighed before I wrapped my arm around Rossweisse and pulled her closer.
"Listen, meeting you guys was one of the greatest moments of my life, but I will save that young girl even if it means that you'll be mad at me for a long time." Yasaka just stared at me before she sighed and shook her head.
"Fine, but this doesn't mean I have to like it." She grumbled with a pout and her arms crossed. I chuckled as I gave her a soft kiss and both our eyes widened as a blushing Rossweisse gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
"I-I wanted to help." She muttered softly and I smiled as I nodded, Yasaka giggling as she pulled Rossweise closer by the shirt before capturing her lips in a searing kiss, with me just watching them make out before they slowly pulled away.
"See, this just makes me feel like you guys are playing alone without me." I said with a smirk, to which Yasaka just giggled as Rossweisse quickly shook her head.
"Unfortunately, she doesn't want to do anything if you're not there." Yasaka grumbled and Rossweisse turned even more red as she nodded.
"…And just like that, you became my favourite." I said and Yasaka whined as Rossweisse giggled, though I hid my smirk at her whining as I kissed them both on the forehead.
The Next Day:
ORC Clubroom:
3rd Person POV:
"So, the new guy is part of the supernatural world?" Rias asked Theo as she stared at Cao Cao and Theo nodded as Cao Cao rolled his eyes.
"He's part of the Organization and has agreed to help you with your trouble after a favour and a raise."
"The only reason I'm helping you is because the captain asked. If he didn't, I would have ignored you and killed you if you tried to recruit me to your peerage." Rias gave Cao Cao an unwary gaze before she turned to glance at Theo, who just shrugged.
"He's telling the truth. Aki is a bit…trigger-happy when he's around Devils and other supernatural races, which is why I'm here to make sure he doesn't kill you guys by 'accident'." Theo said with air-shrugs, to which Cao Cao gave an unashamed nod and Rias gave a nervous giggle.
"So, what I want to tell you is that-!" Rias was cut off by a large orange crest appearing to the side, clicking her tongue as flames spewed from the side before wrapping in a mini-tornado. Theo and Cao Cao noticed the usual soft smile on Kiba's face turning stiff and Koneko showing the first bit of emotion a she frowned before the flames disappeared.
In their place was a tall and handsome young man, having a rugged charm to him as he grinned arrogantly at us. His dark blonde hair was cut short with dark blue eyes and he was dressed in a burgundy blazer with matching pants, a white dress shirt with the top button unbuttoned and black dress shoes.
"Ah, it's been a while since I've been to the eastern hemisphere of the human world." The man said with a satisfied sigh before his grin widened as he noticed the glare Rias gave him.
"Rias, my love. I'm always in awe when I see your beauty."
"And I'm always nauseous whenever I see your arrogant mug, Riser." She fired back, but the now-named Riser just chuckled as he walked and sat down on a sofa before he noticed Theo and Cao Cao standing near the door.
"I didn't expect you to be one for using human slaves. Not too bad, Rias." Riser said with a nod towards the two men, noticing the nervous glances Rias and her peerage gave the two nor the way Theo was keeping Cao Cao from just ripping out his Sacred Gear and cleaving the Devil in two.
"What do you want, Riser?" Rias asked with a frown and Riser chuckled as he leaned back against the sofa.
"I'm here to tell you that our parents have decided to shorten the time to two weeks from today. If you have not said anything by then, they'll assume that you agree with their decision and that you agree that us getting married is the best course of action." He said, his smirk growing as he saw the shock and disbelief on her face before those emotions disappeared as rage shone on her face.
"And like always, they've decided to not tell me about it, huh?"
"We did try to contact you, but it's not our fault that you don't answer the communication spells." He said with a smirk and a shrug, making her glare at him before she let out a shaky sigh. She then glanced at Theo, who gave her a subtle smile as he nodded, and she nodded back before she turned to the smirking Riser.
"Tell my parents and your parents that I'll be challenging you in that Rating Game and I'll win."
"...You're actually challenging me?" Riser asked in surprise and she just glared as she nodded, making him shrug as he stood up.
"Fine, then. As an early marriage gift, I'll give you ten days to get ready. I'll beat you on the 11th day and we can get married on the 12th. Look forward to the honeymoon." He said with a leer, to which she just glared before he chuckled and disappeared in a flame tornado.
"…Well, he was very charming." Theo said with an amused smirk and Rias just huffed as Akeno giggled.
"Now you see why I hate him." Rias grumbled and Theo chuckled as he nodded before Cao Cao spoke up.
"Can I cause an accident during the battle?"
"You're not killing him, Aki. Maiming, however, is another story." Cao Cao just chuckled gleefully at that as he rubbed his hands together while Theo sighed before he turned to the amused Rias.
"Train for the next ten days and on the day of the battle, Aki will be meeting you here for the battle. Sound good?" "Sounds great." Rias said with a smile and a nod. Theo nodded back before a teleportation crest appeared under him and Cao Cao before they disappeared.
"He's a very strange man." Kiba said as he stared at the spot where the two men had disappeared, making Rias and Akeno nod before she turned to the most aura-sensitive of her peerage.
"What did you sense from him, Koneko?" She asked her and Koneko just shivered as she shook her head.
"Holy Energy. A lot of it." That made Rias raise an eyebrow as Akeno frowned.
"A Fallen Angel?" She asked before her frown disappeared as Koneko shook her head.
"Not tainted. Pure." She said and Akeno raised an eyebrow before she turned to Rias, who was deep in thought.
"An exorcist, perhaps?"
"No, if he has a lot of pure Holy energy, then he needs to be a Holy Sword Wielder and from what I know, all of the Holy Swords we know of are still with the Vatican." She said and Akeno hummed before she sighed.
Well, she wanted help and she got it.
Wait...they forgot to form the pact! Damn Riser and his arrogance for distracting her!
Eleven days Later:
ORC Clubroom:
"So, I see the training did you all good." Theo said with a smirk as he felt the increased aura around all of them. It wasn't a big change, but still enough to make a difference.
"Thanks. We trained in the basics the best we can, so now, all we can do is hope for the best." Rias said with a sigh, dressed in the Kuoh school uniform, and he smiled before the door opened and her peerage along with Cao Cao walked through.
Both Kiba and Koneko were dressed in the Kuoh Academy uniform, though Kiba had a pair of steel greaves on and Koneko a pair of black fighter's gloves with a pink cat-paw on the back of them.
Akeno and Cao Cao were both not dressed in the school uniform, with Akeno dressed in traditional white miko attire with red accents and Cao Cao dressed in a combination of ancient Chinese attire and the traditional gakuran.
"What's with the weird Chinese-Japanese outfit?" Rias asked Cao Cao and he shrugged as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"I'm Chinese on my mother's side and Japanese on my father's, so I like to proudly showcase my heritage."
"To honour your parents?" She asked with a smile only for it to disappear as he scoffed.
"If I could, I would toss them in a hellhound pit and watch them be ripped limb from limb, but unfortunately, Huntsmen rules dictate that I don't kill any humans." He grumbled, missing the looks of shock and horror everyone gave them before Rias turned to the sheepish Theo.
"What the hell did you give me, Sensei?"
"Oi! I'm not an object!"
"Don't worry. When the battle begins, he'll show you what he's capable of."
"Thanks, captain." Cao Cao said with a salute, to which Theo just shook his head before he nodded at Rias and walked out of the room.
"Now, we've come up with a battle plan that everyone agrees on, so we just have to tell you your part in it and-!"
"Okay, listen Ms. Devil. Let's get one thing straight. I don't have time to waste, so you all stay in the room and I'll take care of everything else."
"…Do you actually believe that you can take down an entire peerage and a Phenex, known for their incredible regenerative capabilities?" Rias asked with a doubtful look and he just sighed as he shook his head, not even tensing up like the others as space around them shifted and teleported them into a barren variant of the academy.
"Listen, the captain wants me to take care of this and I will, but I also don't want to waste any time, so I'll take care of this and then go back home." And with that said, he pushed himself off the wall and walked out, making Rias frown as everyone glanced at her for instructions before she sighed.
"Everyone, stay on alert for now. If his plan doesn't work, then I can at least hold this over his head for the rest of the year."
"Already thinking of ways to mess with him, aren't you Buchou?" Akeno asked with a giggle, to which Rias just blushed, but didn't deny as Kiba chuckled and Koneko smirked.
At the same time:
Student Council Clubroom, Kuoh Academy:
Theo's POV:
"Woo! Go, Aki!" Kunou cheered as she waved a small flag around, Cao Cao's face stitched on the front as Yasaka and Rossweisse giggled.
"Once again, thank you for letting us watch with you all." I thanked Sona with a smile and she just nodded.
"It's of no worry." She said, making me chuckle as Tsubaki gave an amused smirk.
"Who is Aki, exactly?" Sona asked me and I chuckled as I shrugged.
"If you want to know that, he'll have to tell you that himself." She just rolled her eyes as we turned back to the projection in front of us.
Kuoh Variant, Dimensional Gap:
Top of Old Main Building:
3rd Person POV:
'Three…seven…thirteen…fourteen…fifteen…sixteen. Sixteen little devils ripe for their destruction. Well, not exactly their destruction, but it fits.' Cao Cao thought with a smirk as he made a note of where everyone of the enemy Devils was before he stood up from his crouch.
'Should I hold back?…Maybe a little lot. Yeah, a lot under half should be enough to take them out.' Cao Cao nodded to himself before he grinned as he held his hand out to the side, a bright white light flowing off of his form before it condensed around his hand and formed into a weapon as tall as he was.
It was an ornate spear with a dark blue rod, golden metal decorations in the form of arrow tips spirallling around in a double helix pattern around the top of the spear, ending in a empty white circle with a cross that doesn't completely fill out the circle. A small silver stump with two protrusions on each side can be found at the base of the spear tip and the spear tip was a bright silver, a bright white aura surrounding it as Cao Cao twirled the spear around his body.
He could hear the screeches from the Devils hiding near the forest around the old building as they quickly rushed away from the Holy Light. Rias and her peerage were being protected by him from the Holy aura exuding from the spear as he watched the other Devils not even trying to get closer.
Lowering himself into a crouch, he aimed the spear at the other field as the light around him grew brighter and brighter until it looked as if night had turned to day as a literal sun burned on the roof.
"Qiángliè de yùwàng(Burning Desire)." Cao Cao muttered as he pulled his spear back before throwing it forward like a javelin.
Space warped and the air screeched as the field in front of him wasn't destroyed as much as it was completely annihilated, scorching white flames burning half of the school yard away and piercing through space and time before he grinned as he felt it pierce right through the Phenex and continue flying until it got stuck in the dimension barrier around the field.
He didn't wait for the dust to settle as he leapt down from the roof and onto the window sill, smiling amusedly as Rias and the rest of her peerage stared in shock at the destruction in front of them before they turned to him.
"…Riser Phenex and peerage have been eliminated. The winner…is Rias Gremory." Grayfia's announcement echoed throughout the silent field, a hint of shock in her tone as Cao Cao gave Rias a smirk.
"And that is why the captain picked me." Was all he said before the world around them shifted and they were back in the original room.
"Now, if you'd excuse me, I have a date with a bag of chips and Drag-so-Ball." Everyone was still trapped in shock as Cao Cao gave them a final nod before he disappeared in a blast of wind.
A/N: And there we go! Another chapter finished!
This was to showcase how powerful Cao Cao is in this fanfic and how powerful the Organization is overall!
Next chapter, the end of the Phenex Saga and the start of the Fallen Gods of the Scorching Stars Arc!
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye!